Leading the charge in climate battle

With a big push from Gov. Jay Inslee and the votes of the Democrats who control both houses of the Legislature, new laws have been enacted to cut carbon emissions in Washington. The most significant measure mandates that electrical utilities in the state must cease using coal by 2025 and natural gas by 2045.

While the national government has, for two years, been retreating from the fight against climate change, Washington and other key states — California, in particular — have kept the United States inching forward in the battle to mitigate the dire consequences of rising global temperatures.